


Growing Pains

by blue_noize



Category: South Park
Genre: Angst, Author!Tweek, Baker!Kyle, Baseball Player!Craig, Crenny, Epilogue, Eventual Romance, Flashbacks, Fluff in there somewhere..., Four Year Time Skip, Hopefully Chapter Per Day, Keepsakes, Kenny has long hair now, M/M, Photographer!Kenny, Pining, Potential Bittersweet Ending, Prologue, Stuff is sad man, Tall-ish Kyle, Tweek/Kyle Centric, maybe eventual smut, not me, potential happy ending, twyle, who knows - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-07-12 01:50:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15985046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_noize/pseuds/blue_noize
Summary: I made some mistakes, I made a fewBut I learned that I am strongAnd just because it hurtsDoesn't mean it isn't worth itAnd even if it stingsIt's just a temporary thingI'm not saying that changingWon't cost you love won't make you cry,But it will all make sense...When the growing pains subsideKyle left four years ago, and never came back.  Tweek's life hasn't felt the same since.  He feels like time has stopped for him, with everyone he knows moving on and living their lives.  He's felt stuck.  And he was okay with that.  Until Kyle came back.It's been four years, and Kyle is back in town.  He knows he shouldn't be.  It's probably not going to end well, but he can't keep himself away, not when he feels like his life is crumbling at the seams, not when Tweek is right in front of him.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by my dear friend, Wren! Thanks so much for putting in the time to help with this, I really appreciate it.
> 
> Thank you to Angel and Cori for giving me the urge to write a Twyle xD
> 
> Thank you to my darling, Que, for always inspiring me to keep writing. 
> 
> And thanks to all of you who decide to read this hellstorm.
> 
> Merci, and enjoy~

He opened the closet door slowly, hesitantly.  To be honest, he'd avoided going in there for weeks now.  It wasn't that he was scared to, even if it appeared that way.  No, it just seemed like a hassle, and it brought up so many memories that he wasn't sure he wanted to face again.  He'd resolved to take the thing out and get rid of it. He didn't need it anymore. Of course, he could have just given it back.  But it was a reminder of the good times. Of nights running through town, of days spent throwing bits of popcorn at each other, sitting on his bed.  Nights of phone calls and falling asleep in the middle of conversations. Dozens of times they had sat on the outskirts of parties, laughing at the stupidity that came with teenage life.

Tweek missed those moments.  He shouldn't. He was the one who had said it was too much.  He shouldn't be regretting it now.

But he was.

He slammed the closet door shut and left the task for another time.

"You can't avoid it forever," Craig piped up from Tweek's bed, where he was slowly picking at chunks of a bagel and popping them into his mouth.

"I kn-know.  It's just...it hurts."  Tweek turned to his best friend and grimaced.  Craig was leaning back against his headboard, and the blond was almost positive that he saw crumbs landing on the other boy’s belly.  "Please don't get crumbs on my sheets.”

"I won't." 

Tweek sighed.   _ I’ll believe that when I see it.   _

Craig’s gaze moved, and the smaller boy followed it until it landed on his wrist, to a woven bracelet that Kyle had made for him.  The noirette’s expression turned to one of almost pity, and Tweek rolled his eyes. "I know. I get it. You don't h-have to tell me."  Craig smiled sadly at him.

"I shouldn't be saying anything, though.  I can't even get rid of his either." The noirette held up his own wrist, where Tweek saw the blue and green threaded bracelet, for the colors of Kenny and Craig’s eyes.  Seeing it made the blond smile. That was right. They'd all made them for each other because of some weird idea Kenny had come up with. The freckled teen was always doing things like that, trying to get all of them to seem more “couple like”.

Tweek looked down at his wrist and ran his finger over the threads.  He really didn't want to get rid of it. This one was different from the thing he kept locked in his closet.  This one was...special.

He dropped his wrist then, pulling the sleeve of his cardigan down.  Stepping forward and plopping down on his bed as well, Tweek grabbed a chunk of bagel and chewed it slowly.  "Still n-no progress?" he wondered, trying to change the subject off of himself as he stared up at his ceiling.  He still had those weird little drawings Kyle had made up there. Little soot sprites from Spirited Away, a small dragon, a badly misshapen cow.  He'd made them to help calm Tweek down when he inevitably started to panic, and even now they did the trick, despite making him unbelievably sad.

"None.  It wasn't that big of a fight to be honest.  We'll make up in no time, I'm sure," Craig said, but his confidence was a bluff.  Tweek could see it in his eyes. His friend was very bad at hiding the emotions from his eyes even while he kept up his stone-face demeanor.  And right now, it was apparent how much this separation was hurting him.

"When a-are you gonna start t-telling the truth, Craig?  At least to me?" The blond waited as Craig looked down at the bracelet and hummed lightly.

"It  _ is _ the truth."

"Bull.  You n-never even told me  _ what _ you guys f-fought about," Tweek grumbled, snatching the bagel completely and leaning over to plop it on the napkin on his nightstand.

"I told you, it's not that big of a deal."

"If it wasn't a big d-deal, then you'd be with him r-right now.  Don't fuck me with, Craig. I kn-know you."

The taller teen turned his back from the headboard and flopped backwards on the bed, his long legs hanging off the edge so that his feet were still touching the floor.  "It was stupid.  _ I _ was stupid."

Snorting, Tweek pushed at Craig's leg.  "When aren't you?"

"Hardy har.  Do you wanna hear about it or not?"

Tweek waved a hand dismissively and laid back on his bed as well, looking back at those little drawings.  "Proceed."

Craig hummed and picked his hand up, playing with the frayed end of the threads circling his wrist.  "I said I was thinking of not going to college and just working. I told him that if he was here, I'd rather stay and work and help him, and he got mad.  Said that I had more to my life than being stuck in South Park, working for almost no pay in this shithole town." 

Craig paused, and Tweek was tempted to say that Kenny was right, that Craig had the brains and the potential to go as far as life could bring him, but he knew his best friend well enough to know that he probably wasn't done talking  despite his momentary silence .  The noirette had a habit of not getting his entire thought out in one go. 

"I told him that it didn't matter if I was stuck here, that I would at least be with him.  And he said that if I was gonna keep talkin' shit like that, then he didn't want to be around me.  That if I really thought that would make him happy, then I didn't know him at all.”

Tweek wasn't sure  _ what _ to say in response to that.  It was rare that the two of them fought, let alone got upset with each other.  As far as the blond knew, Craig and Kenny seemed perfect for each other and wouldn't  _ have _ a reason to fight, but that was naive of him.   _ Relationships don't work that way. _

Every couple fought, no matter how “perfect” they seemed to fit.  Tweek knew that firsthand. He reached out to ruffle at Craig's hair.  He'd taken to not wearing his hat recently. Tweek had even seen it just hiding in Craig’s closet a few times.

"I think he's right," the blond said after a while, turning on his side to look at Craig.  As he did so, he caught sight of his bracelet and the orange and green made his heart squeeze painfully.  "You have the chance to g-go as far as you want t-to. Full r-ride baseball scholarship. B-brains and tenacity to match."

"I don't wanna leave him, though."

Letting out a frustrated breath, the blond sat up and lightly flicked his friend on the forehead.  "You're gonna be an hour away, at the m-most. You b-both have cars. Weekends to g-go see each other.  Stop b-being a b-brat!"

Craig frowned, his brow furrowing as he looked up at Tweek, rubbing at the spot on his forehead.  "Brat? How?"

Instead of answering, Tweek jumped from his bed and paced for a bit, needing to relieve some of the nervous energy that had overwhelmed him out of nowhere.   _ Breathe.  Calm down.  No need to get flustered. _  "You a-at least have a ch-chance of being with the one you're m-meant for again.  Don't j-just waste that."

"Tweek, you know that if you tell him-”

"Tell him what?" the blond ground out, tugging lightly at a bit of his hair.  He'd stopped pulling it hard enough to rip it from his scalp a long time ago. Now he just tugged, the sensation reminding him that he was real.  It seemed like such an obvious thing, being real, but he found that he had problems with it. "Please, Craig, t-tell me.  _ What _ should I t-tell him?"  He kept his blue eyes downcast, following the worn path in the wooden floor of his room.  He hated carpet and had removed it a few years ago. He crossed his free arm around his middle and fisted his hand in the knit of his cardigan.

Craig remained silent, eyes following Tweek as he paced.  Finally, he sighed, sitting up and looking down at his hands, back slouching as though weighed down by a heavy burden.

The blond hated being like this, taking offense whenever the redhead was mentioned, feeling like he was out of control of his own words.  He didn't want to take it out on his friend. And even more than that, the more upset he got, the more he stuttered. He'd been getting so good at managing his speech impediment.  He could almost completely speak normally now. He hated feeling like he was regressing back into old patterns.

"He's not...upset with you, Tweek."

The blond's pacing ceased almost instantly.  "What?"

"He just wants you to be happy.  And if you being on your own is what makes you happy, if that's what make it easier on you...he said it's fine."

"You t-talked to him?" Tweek breathed.  No one had talked to Kyle in weeks. It was as if he'd all but dropped off the face of the earth after their fight.  Apparently, he had been down south with family. "W-when?"

Craig still hadn't looked up.  If Tweek didn't know any better, he would have thought the noirette hadn't spoken at all.  Nothing in his expression or posture had changed. "I didn't. Tricia talked to Ike."

The little glimmer of hope Tweek hadn't even realized he'd been harboring fizzled.   _ So he's not back. _  Then again, why had that ever been a thought?  Of course he wouldn't be back. Summer vacation had literally just started, and as far as the blonde knew, the Broflovskis stayed down south all summer long.   _ Why did I even want him to come back...I was the one who left, wasn't I? _  Yes, he was.  Tweek was the one.  It wasn't Kyle's fault.  It never had been.

"You're thinking too hard again.  I can hear the gears crunching," Craig muttered as he stood up off the bed.  "I've gotta head home to make sure Tricia does her summer reading. You know how she is."  Tweek nodded absently, his gaze stuck to the floor and the foot long scrape that had appeared after he and Kyle had switched his room around last Christmas.  They'd made a fort , dragging his furniture around the room and leaving marks, leaving memories, carved into his floor .  Suddenly, warm arms enveloped him and Tweek was surrounded with the familiar scent of his friend.  "If you need me, just text me. I'll have my volume up."

"O-okay," the blond whispered, letting that warmth soak up some of his discomfort.  He wrapped his arms around the other teen's middle, squeezing as tightly as he could manage.  "Thank you."

Craig withdrew and rested a hand on the small blond's head, ruffling his hair with a soft smile.  "Try not to worry about it so much. It'll be alright."

Tweek hoped so, but he was too skeptical to really believe it. But he smiled back at the noirette and lifted a hand in a wave as his friend walked from the room and back out into the summer air.

When he was left alone in his room, Tweek was painfully aware of just how much stuff he had that reminded him of the redhead.  Drawings, trinkets, ticket stubs, even a badly made stuffed cow that Kyle had gotten him out of a claw machine. Most of the time, the blond was able to deal with those memories.  They didn't really bother him, but...

The hoodie in his closet was a different matter.  That one article of clothing had much more attached to it, and Tweek hated even looking at it.  It reminded him of how everything had come crashing down around him. It reminded him of the firsts, the first time they'd kissed, the first time they'd snuck out to see each other, the first time Tweek's paranoia had gotten the better of him and he'd had to cling to Kyle's chest just to be able to breathe.  The article of clothing held so much that he was afraid of it. It reminded him too much of the mistake he'd made.

_ Why can't I go back...make things different? _  Because it was impossible.  No matter how many times his delusions told him that aliens were waiting to take him to different places and times, he knew that they couldn't actually do that.  The aliens in South Park were too stupid and too obsessed with anal probes to be able to actually take the time to abduct him.

Sighing, the blonde walked to his window and tapped on the glass.  He caught sight of the bracelet again, and suddenly, voices echoed around him.

  
  
_ "Hey, why don't we make it orange and green?  Like my hair and like, I dunno, the shirt you always wear?  I’ve kinda associated you with green at this point." _

  
  
The voice sounded so real, so close, that Tweek whipped around, searching for the source. 

  
  
_ "Th-that's kinda...h-hey!  I don't _ always  _ wear that shirt!" _

  
Tweek jumped at his own voice in his ears.  What was going on?

  
  
_ "I think it'd be cute, though.  Our colors. That way we'd be able to look at it even when we're away and still feel like the other is there, y'know?" _   


  
Tweek collapsed to his knees.  "Please st-stop. I don't want to h-hear his voice..."

  
  
_ "I wouldn't h-have taken you for the romantic type, Kyle!" _

  
That wasn't true.  Tweek knew exactly how romantic Kyle could be.  The redhead had shown it in the soft kisses he gave, the way he smiled as Tweek huddled against his side to sleep, the way he'd play with the blonde's hair as if it was the most beautiful thing in the universe, in the way he gave Tweek a rose every month on the same day.

  
  
_ "Oh, shut it.  It's just 'cause I want us to be together, y'know?  Even if we can't be in person." _

 

The blond put his hands to his ears.  "Please...n-no more." No matter how much he begged, the other boy’s ghost continued to haunt him.  The feeling of his presence lingered as the voices dissipated. He could still remember the soft look Kyle had given him just moments after he'd said those words, and he had almost tackled the redhead into a tight hug.

In the end, they'd made two of the same color in different patterns.  He was sure by now that Kyle had gotten rid of his, but Tweek couldn't seem to let go.

"I d-don't want to l-let go..."  He felt tears slip down his cheeks, their warmth cooling quickly in the chill air of his room.  It was too much. All of it. Stupidity at his own actions was all he could feel. He'd taken the other boy for granted, thinking that he'd always be there, hurting Kyle more than he could ever hope take back.  Slipping his hands from his ears to wrap them around his stomach, Tweek tried to hold the pain in. Letting go would never be possible.


	2. 1 ~ All This Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What I'm about to say  
> Won't be easy to swallow  
> What you felt today  
> Will be as painful tomorrow  
> Painful tomorrow
> 
> Four years is a long time, and while Tweek hasn't changed, the world around him has, the people he's known have. Who knew change could hurt so much?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was originally gonna wait until I got this beta'd to post it, but I got impatient. I'll probably still have someone go through and fix things later on, and I'll reupload when the time comes, but for now, enjoy!!

The bell over the door tinkled and the cool evening air of mid September pushed through the crowd of customers.  Tweek looked up from his computer, fingers stilling on the keys as he attempted to see who was coming into the shop. He wasn't working today, so it didn't really matter.  He'd just sit at his table in the corner and work on his manuscript. The deadline was only a week away. If he wanted to get it done in time for the event, he'd have to work nonstop.  But as he looked up and tried to peer through the crowd, his eyes caught on the person coming through the door. Instantly, a grin split his face. "Craig!"

The noirette turned suddenly at Tweek's call and looked over his shoulder, calling to someone who was still outside.  "Hey, he's over here!" Moments later, Kenny was coming in through the door, a similar smile planted on his face. Craig seemed to grab the blond's hand as they headed over to Tweek's table.

"Hey, Tweekie!" Kenny greeted as he leaned over the tiny table to hug the smaller blond, long hair pulled into a loose bun at the base of his neck.  "How's it goin'?" The two sat down, shoulder to shoulder as they attempted to squish into the small space, and Tweek felt warmth rise in his chest. His best friends were home.

"It's going pretty all right, I'd say," Tweek said, reaching a hand forward to grasp onto the one Craig offered.  "But what about you guys? How was Bali? And geez, your hair got  _ long! _ "

Kenny grinned and brought up a hand to fiddle with some stray hairs that ghosted over his shoulder. "Isn’t it?  Craig said I should grow it out, and I think it suits me! But, oh, it was great! You should have  _ seen _ how blue the water was, Tweek!"

"The food was pretty good, too," Craig added as he plunked his chin on his husband's shoulder, nuzzling against Kenny’s sandy blond hair.   _ Heh. That's right.  Married… _

Kenny chuckled and answered with, “All you think about is food.”

The two had just gotten back from their honeymoon.  As they began retelling all of the best parts of their trip, Tweek smiled and listened, but his mind still attempted to sway away from the conversation.  

It had been four years.  Kenny and Craig had gotten over their issues not long after Tweek had lectured him. Craig had graduated from college, but he still played baseball professionally.  Kenny was a photographer that was featured in magazines all over the country. 

Tweek was...still Tweek.

The only difference was that he was apparently a bestselling author now.  Despite that, he still worked here at the coffee shop in his hometown. He hadn't moved, physically or emotionally.  It was like the entire world kept spinning while he stood still.

"You still here, Tweek?"

Blinking, the blond looked up from where he'd been staring at the other two's joined hands.

"Huh?  Oh, yeah.  I'm here. Why?"  He looked between his friends and the concerned looks on their faces.  "Really, I'm all right."

"Are you sure?" Craig asked, leaning forward to put a hand on the blond's forehead.  "You seem a bit paler than I remember. Getting sick?"

Eyes flicking up at the hand that was now withdrawing, Tweek shook his head.  "No, I mean it. I'm okay. I haven't been sick in almost a year, aside from a cold a few months ago."

Kenny's blue eyes twinkled with sudden amusement.  "That would mean you  _ have _ been sick in the last year, Tweekie."

Shaking his head again, he narrowed his eyes. "I meant I haven't been  _ seriously _ sick in almost a year.  Colds don't count." The two across from him exchanged glances and then laughter enveloped him.  He found himself smiling along with them, closing his laptop so he could focus more on his friends.

“Of course, it counts as getting sick, Tweek,” Craig informed him amid the laughter.

Kenny seemed content to giggle against Craig’s shoulder.  
“Either way, what’s been going on?” Tweek commented, not wanting the conversation to be focused on him.  The laughter ceased and the others launched into retelling what had happened the past few years.

They talked for a while, sharing stories about what had been going on in their lives.  Despite being married for a year already, Kenny and Craig had only just recently had the time to take their honeymoon, and Tweek hadn't spoken with them much because of their schedules.  Apparently, they had moved to Texas just after getting married, Craig having been traded to a team down there. And of course, Kenny had gone with him. Before then, they'd been living in New York.

"So how's the new novel coming?" Craig suddenly asked, drawing Tweek's attention away from the pink stir stick he'd been playing with.

"All right, I guess.  The deadline is in a week, and I've got about 80% of the material done.  I've gotta flesh out chapters here and there, but that shouldn't take me long," Tweek explained, glancing at his laptop and the multitude of stickers that were there.  Most of them had been from letters Craig had sent while on the road for games, with a few from Kenny when he'd go overseas for photoshoots, and even one or two from Bebe.  The girl had become a designer in some big company out in Cali.

"What's this one about?" Kenny wondered as he nibbled at the edge of a croissant.  "Is this part of that DeadWatcher Series, or is it a new one?"

Tweek shook his head, "Nope, I finished the last book of DeadWatcher about six months ago, I think.  This is a new one. A mystery."

"Oooh!  Everyone loves a good mystery!" the other blond blurted, flashing a bright grin Tweek's way, and he was unsurprised to still see the gap between Kenny’s teeth.  It was so much a part of who Kenny was that if he had gotten it fixed, the bubbly blond wouldn't seem like the same person.

"Hm, I dunno about that."  Tweek ran his finger over the bell shaped sticker in the middle of his laptop.  "My editor was kind of wary about this one. She said that it wasn't like what I normally write, so I shouldn't expect many sales, but I still wanted to try it.  I haven't written a mystery since high school."

Vaguely, Tweek heard the tinkling of the chime above the door again.  It wasn’t his responsibility at the moment, so he paid it no mind. Instead, the writer focused on Craig as he relayed some story about when they'd been in high school, when he'd found Tweek writing in the bathroom so that no one would disturb him.

Kenny's smile faded slightly, and Tweek instantly knew what was coming.  Their conversations always seemed to end this way. "Speaking of high school..."

"No.  No, Kenny," Tweek interrupted, blue eyes dropping as he glanced at the bits of scraped off sticker that had once been a picture.  "I..haven't heard from him. Not since...not since he left for summer vacation four years ago." He winced at the twin looks of concern that overtook his friend's faces again.  He hated it when they looked like that. "I tried to call him a few times, but his number has been out of service for years. He probably got a new one, and honestly, why  _ would _ he let me know what it was after...after what happened."

"I heard he's been doing good, though, from what Tricia told me," Craig offered, looking at Kenny out of the corner of his eyes.  When his husband nodded, the noirette continued, "I guess he was going to law school like his dad, but it didn't work out. He and Ike own a bakery in Denver now."

_ Denver, huh.  So close. _

"Why hasn't he come back to town if he's so close to home, though?" Tweek found himself muttering.  It seemed to catch them all off guard, even Tweek himself. "If he's been this close the entire time..."  He stopped his words and sighed, looking away from his friends. It honestly didn't matter why. Tweek hadn't had been a part of Kyle's life for years.  He didn't deserve a place there. Attempting to shove that train of thought from his head, the blond looked back up at the two of them and smiled, albeit sadly.  "Nevermind. It...it doesn't matter."

Kenny looked over at Craig, almost warily, before he reached forward and grasped Tweek's smaller hand in his own.  He opened his mouth a few times before smiling and starting, "You know...he's actually--”

"Hi, Tweek."

The world seemed to move in slow motion, as cliche as that sounded, but in all honesty, that's what it felt like.  All at once, the sounds around him stopped when that voice said his name. Eyes migrating upwards, his gaze shifted over the form in front of him.   _ Huh, _ he thought, the surprise muddled as time slowed,  _ He's taller than I remember. _  Distressed blue jeans gave way to a black t-shirt, various handmade bracelets adorning each wrist, phone in one hand, coffee in the other.  Tweek's eyes went higher, noticing the broadness of those shoulders before ghosting over freckled features and striking hazel eyes.

Tweek blinked, his brain trying to catch up as Kyle looked down at him with a small smile.

"Ky!"  Kenny's yell broke through this transfixed state the blond was in, and he felt the urge to run bubble in his throat.  The freckled blond stood up and turned, throwing his arms around his redheaded friend. "Dude, it's been years!"

Even as Kyle hugged the his friend back, his eyes remained on Tweek, as if waiting.   _ What could he be waiting for?  Why would he be waiting for anything from me?  Why does he even want anything to do with me? _  Sure, it had been four years, but there's no way he could have forgiven Tweek after all of that.  

Absently, the blond rubbed at his wrist, where until just recently, that bracelet has still remained.  His eyes dropped to look at the redhead's wrists as they fell back to his sides once Kenny released him.  Tweek found himself looking at the myriad of bracelets that lay there, searching. When he didn't see the orange and green threaded bracelet that matched his own, he felt his stomach drop.   _ Of course not.  Why would he still have it? _

"Yeah, I'm doin' pretty good."  Kyle's voice filtered in through the sad panic that had been running Tweek's  brain.  _ It's deeper than I remember. _  Why wouldn’t it be?  It had been, as he had thought many times, four years now.  "Ike's holdin' down the fort at the bakery, so I'm mostly free for a while."

"Good to hear!" Craig added in, standing as well to clap a hand on Kyle's shoulder.  He still seemed to tower over the redhead, but as Tweek looked between the two of them, he found that Kyle had indeed gained at least three inches since he'd seen him last.  "And I like the haircut." The noirette removed his hand from Kyle's shoulder to ruffle red curls, which were quite shorter from before, the rest shaved into an undercut.

"Yeah?  It was Ike's idea.  He said it might lessen the weight a bit.  I had it grown out pretty long for a while."  Kyle's voice crashed over Tweek, and he felt that sad panic rise up again.  "I heard you guys got married! Sorry I couldn't go. The bakery was having a big issue that week."

"Don't worry about it!  We've all got lives, you know, and opening your own business is a lot of work."  Kenny glanced over his shoulder at Tweek, as if prompting the blond to say something, but he really couldn't.  His mind was blank except for  _ What do I do? _  "But wait just one second, what is that?"  

Kenny's question drew everyone’s eyes in the general vicinity as he pointed down at Kyle's hand.  He lifted it, and Tweek once again felt his stomach drop, his heart suddenly feeling like it was going to explode.

"Oh, right!" the redhead said, a soft smile pulling at his lips and if Tweek hadn't known any better, he would have thought that it was a sad one, a regretful one.  But that couldn't be true. How could he be regretful of... "I, uh, got engaged a few weeks ago!"  _ Of that… _

"You didn't!" Craig and Kenny blurted in tandem.

"I did!  She, uh, proposed to me.  She bought us both rings and well," he paused, glancing at Tweek, but the blond didn't see it.  He was too busy trying to collect himself enough to at least tell him  _ Congrats _ or  _ Good for you _ , but he couldn't.  "She said if I didn't wear it, she'd strangle me."  He words seemed joking, but his tone of voice still held that regret that Tweek was almost sure he was imagining.

Dropping his head, the blond swallowed heavily. He wrung his hands in his lap and tried to make himself as small as possible.

"Congratulations, dude!  Have you set a date yet?"

_ I can't take it anymore... _

Tweek shot to his feet, his chair squealing painfully against the floor. The other three turned suddenly to him, shocked at the sound.  He kept his head down, and his hands sat fisted on the table. "I'm...I'm going home." Grabbing his laptop, he turned to rush around them.  "It was nice seeing y-you guys. I've got work to d-do." He took a few hurried steps forward before stopping next to Kyle. He looked up at him, and hoped his eyes didn't give away the pain he was feeling at this.  "Congratulations."

Kyle seemed taken aback, blinking twice in quick succession.  He opened his mouth to say something, but Tweek didn't stick around to listen.  He didn’t want to. The longer he stood there, the more upset he would become, and even now his stutter was returning.  He pushed past the redhead, through the crowd, and then onto the street outside.  _ Shit...I forgot my bag. _  But he couldn't just go back in there now.  Not after that exit.  _ I'll just get it later. _

"Tweek, wait!"

Kyle's voice hit his back, and Tweek felt his feet shuffle forward before he was bolting down the road.  He wasn't sure where he was going. His car was in other direction. To be honest, he had just needed to escape.  And as he heard footsteps running after him, the blond still needed to escape. He couldn't do this. 

Even after four years, he still couldn't do this.  He was running away  _ again _ , but for what reason this time?  Because Kyle was engaged? Because he'd shown up out of nowhere when they'd just been talking about him?  Probably both. Maybe neither. To be honest, he wasn’t sure.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed his arm, and Tweek was yanked to a stop so quickly that he fell, back hitting something solid.  "Jesus, that's why I told you to  _ wait _ ."  Tweek looked up and over his shoulder to make contact with hazel eyes and freckled features that were pulled into a frown.  "Makin' me run and shit. I might seem like I'm in good shape, but dammit, you run fast."

Panic flooded Tweek's veins, and he yanked forward, trying to escape.  "P-please let m-me go!" Kyle didn't release him, instead he seemed to hold on tighter.  "I h-have to go h-home and w-work!" He was suddenly twirled around and came face to face with the man he'd loved all those years ago, and apparently still loved, because even now, he felt the urge to fall into the redhead's arms.   _ But I can't. _

"Why did you run?”

Kyle's voice was soft, but insistent.  Tweek leaned backwards and closed his eyes, even now trying to run.  "I t-told you."

The blond heard a sigh above him, and the grip on his arm significantly lessened.  If it hadn't been for the fact that the hand still stayed planted there, Tweek would have lost his footing.  When he stood semi-confidently on the ground, Tweek yanked on his arm again. Even then, Kyle wouldn't let him go.  "Why won't you look at me?" That sad, regretful voice again. Why did it hurt so much to hear it?

"No r-reason," Tweek muttered, his eyes once again landing on that ring.  "C-can you p-please let me g-go. I really h-have to get home.”

Kyle's hand dropped this time, and part of him wanted to reach out for that hand again, but he stamped the desire down.  Stepping away, Tweek kept his eyes cast off to the side. Despite the overwhelming urge to turn tail and run, the blond knew that he couldn't.  His car was in the other direction, and if he wanted to get home any time in the immediate future, he would need it to get back. As he stood there, weighing his options, there was soft exhalation of breath that seemed almost like a laugh. 

"I missed that about you."  The comment was so quiet that Tweek almost hadn't heard it.  His head picked up quickly, and he locked eyes with the redhead once again.  Those eyes seemed so sad, but relieved at the same time, as if Tweek looking him in the eyes was the greatest gift he could have gotten.

"Wh-what?" Tweek mumbled, still unsure if he had heard anything at all.

Kyle stuck his hands in his pockets, his bracelets shifting and the ring becoming hidden, much to Tweek's relief.  He didn't want to see it anymore. "Nothing. Sorry I chased after you like that. I didn't mean to freak you out. I just...you left suddenly and I feel like we didn't even get a chance to catch up."  He chuckled and took one hand out of his pocket, thankfully his right, and ruffled at his own hair. "It's been four years, man. I just wanted to...to see how you were."

Tweek swallowed around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.  "I-I'm fine. R-really."

Leaning back slightly on his heels before dropping back down onto his feet, the redhead whistled lightly.  "How about we grab dinner, or...I don't know, lunch or something this week? I'm gonna be in town for a while.  Only need to drop back at the bakery on Saturdays."

Blue eyes dropping to stare at the ground, Tweek gripped his laptop, holding it to his chest.  "I-I have a d-deadline at the end of the w-week. I don't ha-have much free time."

"Oh..."  The redhead’s voice sounded disappointed.  But then he perked up again and said, "Well, if you find you've got some time, uh, call me?  I got a new phone about two years back or so. Hm." Tweek heard the redhead rustle around in his pockets for a minute before pulling a pen from one with a triumphant, "Ah!"  

Reaching out, he grabbed Tweek's hand lightly, pulling it towards him.  The blond was tempted to yank it back and to brush past him, running away from the entire situation, but he found his feet stuck when the cold tip of the pen touched the back of his hand.  "Here's my new number, since I'm sure you don't have it. Not many people do. I think the only one that does is Kenny at this point. Maybe Stan. Lemme know when you're free, and we can grab lunch or coffee or somethin’."  A smile graced his features again, and Tweek found himself staring at the radiance in the expression.

This wasn't the almost regretful smile from before.  No, this was a hopeful smile, one Tweek thought he'd never see again.  The only face that seemed to stick in his mind was one of pain, one of betrayal.  That was the face he was used to. Not this.

"I'll...s-see what I can do," he finally mumbled, and it wasn't until that moment that he realized that Kyle still had his hand in his grip.  He twitched, something he hadn't done in almost two years, and yanked his hand back. "I, uh...really h-have to be going."

"Oh, sure, sure.  It was great to see you, Tweek."  Kyle lifted the hand that had just been holding his and ran the backs of his fingers over the blond's cheek, his voice softening again.  "Really, it was." 

Startled, Tweek let out a small sound of distress, and Kyle dropped his hand.  He turned then, and waved goodbye, leaving Tweek standing in the middle of the sidewalk, hand against that cheek as heat flared over his face.

The blond stepped backwards, confused, before hiccuping out a strange sob.  His feet moved at that moment, and he ran. He ran around the block until he saw his car and didn't stop running until he was safely in the driver's seat, car turned on and turning out of the parking spot.  His eyes remained wide, almost terrified the entire way. His mind flew almost as fast as his car, but the only words that he could think were,  _ What in the hell was that!? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics in the summary from the song Leaving You by Maria Mena.


	3. ~2 - Prone to Ruin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But this time it's different  
> The rules don't apply  
> But I need some distance to step out of line  
> So grant me this wish and meet me back here in a year  
> If we still exist, I can let go of my fear  
> Fear of normalcy  
> Fear of the solid walls of our future and let go of my past
> 
> Kyle shows up at Tweek's apartment. Why? Why does he insist on throwing the engagement in Tweek's face? Why can't Tweek just go back to how it was before? Before the love of his life returned?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ignore that awful summary, but hell I tried, because LOOK a new chapter!! It took me a hella long time, and I am prepared for this story to not end happily, at least not the first installment. 
> 
> Because there will be a second one, don't you doubt that. 
> 
> Anyway, enjoy

 

Tweek huddled himself onto his couch, head covered with the heavy quilt his mom had given him for his last birthday.  It still smelled like home. He supposed he could have gone home and talked with his mother, but that house still held too many memories.  And his dad would probably go off on a tangent again. To be honest, Tweek wasn't up for that type of conversation. Over the years, his mother had gotten less...odd.  These days, she almost seemed like a normal person; a normal wife and mother. 

So instead of subjecting himself to a four hour story that led nowhere, Tweek kept the quilt wrapped around him as if his life depended on it.

Getting home only mere minutes after he'd run to his car, since his apartment wasn’t really that far from South Park proper, Tweek had immediately thrown himself onto the couch, shoving his face into the cushion as he released a yell.  He screamed until he'd made himself hoarse. Thankfully, his apartment building was the only one in the immediate vicinity and he had no “next door” neighbors, so no one to disturb. This wasn't something he normally resorted to, but all of the emotions from the interaction with his high school sweetheart had taken much more out of him than he would have thought possible.

Pulling the blanket down and inhaling the cool air of his living room, Tweek found that he had calmed enough to get up and actually do something.  His first instinct was to shuffle to the kitchen and make some coffee, but he really didn't feel like resorting to the caffeinated beverage. Instead, he slid from the couch and grabbed the remote to his stereo system, letting  some kind of 90's R&B echo through the room. 

Drawing light brows together, Tweek tried to think back to what channel he had been on before he left for the shop that morning.  He honestly couldn't remember. His sleep numbed brain always seemed to pick random things to listen to.

The writer frowned and turned the stereo off.  He just wasn't in the mood for music, after all.

"Tea, then," Tweek murmured, as if there was anyone around to hear him.  Using the coffee table to pull himself to his feet, the blond groaned. If he was telling the truth, he would rather sit on that couch and melt into the fabric, never to be seen from again.  But knowing that that wasn't possible, he shuffled off into the kitchen.

_ Did I put water in the kettle last night? _  He tried to focus his thoughts on the task at hand instead of going back over what had happened not even an hour ago.  It was too much for his struggling mind to handle. So as he went about getting the tea ready, he said aloud each step until that was all his brain could think of.  By the time he sat back down on the couch with his tea and his laptop, Tweek had calmed down enough that he didn't feel like he would twitch or stutter at a moments notice.   _ Deep breaths, Tweek.  You're in your own home.  Nothing to worry about here. _

With his back resting against the plush cushion of his couch, his legs were stretched out over the coffee table so he could hold the computer comfortably in his lap.  However, as the man opened the device and pressed the power button, nothing happened. The laptop screen remained black, reflecting the face of a confused writer back at himself.  "You've got to be kidding me." He jammed his finger on the button once more, but to no avail.

It was dead.

He could always just plug it in, right?

Wrong.  His charger was in his bag, which had been left behind at the shop.  "Of all the damn--"

The blond sucked in a harsh breath, letting it out slowly, pushing himself to remain calm.  Closing the laptop again, he slipped it off his thighs to rest it on the couch beside him. Tweek leaned forward, fingers tightening around his mug of tea, before taking a long sip.  He wasn't going to freak out about this, nosiree. Tweek was determined to sit there, drink his tea, and  _ then _ get back in his car and go get his bag.  There was no need to lose his cool. He hadn't in quite a while; he was fine; he was calm.

At least, he was for the moment.

Just as he was about to take another sip of tea, just about to let the warm liquid slide down his throat to warm his insides, there was a knock at the door, shattering his little bubble of peace.  Jumping several inches, the blond spilled some of the warm tea on his leg while simultaneously choking on the bit that he currently had in his mouth. Hacking heavily as it got stuck in his throat, Tweek set his cup down, hoping to not spill anymore of it.  His right thigh was  _ covered _ all the way down to his knee.

"Ah, dammit," the writer mumbled in between coughs, finally getting his breathing under control.  The knock sounded again and Tweek growled low in his throat.  _ Why, of all the times.  No one ever comes here. _

As he pulled himself to his feet once again, he grabbed the towel he had left on the back of the couch that morning after his shower and dabbed at the stain on his jeans.   _ Ugh, that's not helping. _  Tweek threw down the towel and stomped over to the door as once again, there was a harsh knock on his door.  "Okay, okay, I  _ get _ it!" he called to the person on the other side of the door.  Slamming a hand on the door knob, he turned and yanked it open, determined to give whoever it was a piece of his goddamn mi--

"Hey, Tweek."

_ Oh, for fuck's sake. _  Aloud he said, "Kyle?"

The redhead was standing in Tweek's open doorway, one hand firmly in his front pocket, the other raised as if he was about to knock again.  "Yeah, it's me," he agreed, opening his fist in a wave. "H-how's it goin'?"

On the other side of the door, hidden from view, Tweek's knuckles turned white as he gripped the knob with all his strength.  "It’s...fine..wh-what...what are you doing here?"

Kyle threw a smirk his way and took his other hand from his pocket, holding it up to show a bag hanging from his middle finger.  "Uh, your bag."

Tweek blinked, taken aback as he leaned away.  Confusion distorted his features. "My...my b-bag?"   _ Why does he have my bag?  How'd he even know where I live? _

Hand still raised with the bag hanging from it, the freckled man in front of Tweek sifted his other hand through his red curls.  "Yeah. Your bag." Kyle grinned down at him and Tweek felt like his entire being was screeching to a sudden halt. His bag. His  _ bag _ .  The one that still had the bracelet hanging from the keyring.  Tweek could see it, right then, swaying as the messenger bag did as well.  Surging forward, the blonde yanked it from Kyle's hands and tossed it behind the door.

"Thank you," he squeaked out, heat rising in his face.  He turned his eyes away and muttered, "H-how did you find my apartment?"

"Hm?" the redhead hummed, tilting his head slightly.  "Oh, Kenny told me."

"Kenny told you."   _ Stop repeating every damn thing he says, idiot! _ Tweek screamed at himself, but he really couldn't help it.  His mind couldn't catch up to the events. The blond kept his eyes on the floor, or more accurately, on the stain on his thigh from the tea.  It was taunting him; he wasn't sure how, wasn't sure  _ why _ , but it was.   _ Say something!  ANYTHING! _

That seemed to get his mind to kick into gear, and Tweek shook his head quickly.  Planting a smile on his face, the blonde looked up into those hazel eyes he had missed so much and said, “Uhm, t-thank you for bring-bringing it to me.  It has my, uh, computer ch-charger in it.”  
“Lemme guess, you absolutely need that to be able to work, huh?” Kyle asked, although it was glaringly obvious that that was the truth.  Hadn’t Tweek said he had a deadline at the end of the week? But… _I guess that’s kind of the point to the question, because it was so obvious._

Either way, Tweek nodded and inched the door closed a fraction.  It wasn’t that he was trying to shut the door in the redhead’s face.  At least...not...okay, maybe he was.  _ Maybe _ he was trying to separate them, because to be honest, he wasn’t sure how much more of just being in the man’s presence he could stand.

“I re-really do have to get to work.  So, uhm…” His words trailed off, voice humming.  Glancing off to the side again, Tweek tried to think of a way to get the other to leave without seeming rude.  
“Oh, yeah, no problem!” Kyle piped up after Tweek had stared at the railing outside his apartment for far longer than he should have.  He pointed down at Tweek’s hand, the same one that still had his number on it. As the blond’s aqua eyes slipped down to stare at it, the black ink against his stark skin, he realized that he had completely forgotten that it was even there.  “Make sure to text me or somethin’ the next time you’re free.”

Tweek found himself repeating, “I re-really do--”  
“I know, I know,” interrupted the redhead, shoving his hands back into his pockets.  “You don’t know when you’ll have time, but…” He paused then, head dropped and gaze falling sheepishly to the floor, “I really wanna catch up, talk about some things.  Things we...we never got to talk about, y’know?”  
Was Tweek _ready_ for that kind of conversation?  Did he want to sit somewhere in public and talk to Kyle about the amount of times he’d fucked up?  No, not even remotely. But when the taller man titled his head to send a shy smile up at Tweek, the blond found that he couldn’t really refuse.  At least...not completely.

“I’ll...try to make t-time.  No prom-promises, though.” Tweek kept his gaze askance, refusing to look into those painfully familiar eyes.  Either way, he could still hear the relief in the other’s voice when he spoke.

“Awesome!  Just lemme know when and where!”  Suddenly, a hand grabbed his own and Tweek found himself being tugged against the redhead’s chest, comforting arms enveloping him.  Body gone stiff, Tweek’s eyes widened as he breathed in a scent that seemed at once familiar and almost too unknown, but neither were unpleasant.  If it hadn’t been for the glint of that silver ring taunting him in his periphery, the blond would have been content to stay there. He’d missed Kyle’s hugs, how warm and safe he felt to be in those arms.  But almost as soon as it had come, the embrace was cut short as Kyle withdrew, keeping his hands on Tweek’s shoulders, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. “I’ve missed you, Tweek.”

“I know.  You’ve al-already said that,” the blond murmured, and he wished his damn stutter would just  _ go away _ .  His eyes traced a slow circle around Kyle’s head, trying to avoid eye contact as much as possible.

Kyle dropped his hands then, shoving them back into his pockets.  Grinning once more, he winked down at Tweek and said, “You know, I definitely did, but that doesn’t make it any less true.”  The redhead turned, taking a few steps. Before he actually maneuvered to walk down the stairs that led up to Tweek’s apartment, Kyle looked over his shoulder with that same almost regretful smile he had shown earlier.  “I hope I get a text from you.” He stuck his tongue out and hopped down the stairs, almost skipping off to the attached parking lot.

Tweek watched from his doorway as the taller man slid into the driver’s seat.  The door made almost no sound as it was pulled close, and the car itself  _ purred _ .  

_ That bakery must make a crap ton of money if he was able to afford a car like that. _  Even with Tweek’s writing, the sheer amount of books that were sold, the blond couldn’t afford anything nearly as nice as that sleek, black as pitch sports car.  If he was being honest, he was kind of jealous. 

Just as the car pulled from the lot, Tweek saw Kyle roll the window down before shoving a hand through and waving.  “G’night!”

Tweek felt his hand coming up in a wave, but deciding against it, he pursed his lips together and slammed the door shut.  Back thumping against the aforementioned door as he turned quickly, the blond writer slid down the smooth wooden finish. He covered his head with his arms and crouched as low as he could, letting out a deep sigh.

Relief flooded his veins, and he felt like he could finally breathe.  

Tweek hadn’t felt this much confused panic rush through him in years.  He had done very well with at home therapy, breath training, all of it to moderate how insane his moods used to be.  And of course, it would all come crashing down the moment Kyle walked back into town. Why was he even  _ in _ town?  It made no sense.  There was nothing here for him.

But in all honesty, it probably didn’t matter.  Tweek was probably the only one even remotely affected by this.  He was the one having problems dealing with it. Kyle had every right to come back; this was his hometown, after all.  He still had friends here. Sure, he hadn’t been back in four years, but an engagement could change things.

_ Engaged, huh? _  Out of all the things that Tweek would have expected, that was not one of them.  Then again, he reminded himself, he was the only one not moving on with his life.  It was painful. Painful to think that he was stuck in an existence that seemed utterly futile.  Painful to think that his two best friends in the entire world, the only ones who had been able to keep him going when Kyle left, were leaving him behind.

They weren’t, really.  Tweek knew that. It felt as if they were, but that was probably just his own mind playing tricks on him, twisting things to make the world seem like a darker place than it already was.

Sighing, the blonde leaned back again, thunking his head against the door.  He should probably move. He still had to clean up the tea that had spilled all over, change into different clothes.  Now that he had his bag, he could charge his laptop and get to work on the manuscript, but was he really up for writing a romantic mystery?  Who knew. He didn’t.

In either case, Tweek still pushed himself to his feet, using his back against the door as leverage.  His feet seemed heavy, as if someone had attached cinderblocks to them without his knowledge. Exhaustion tugged at the edges of his mind.  If he didn’t know he had work to finish, the man would have given into that veil of grey that descended over his senses. But he  _ did  _ know.  He really couldn’t ignore it any longer.  Honestly, he wanted to stray away from coffee, and he’d been able to do so for months now, barring the few times he had been forced to taste what he was brewing at the shop.  However, Tweek also knew that for that night, he wouldn’t get away with staying up without the caffeine. 

So it was with much chagrin that he set about to brewing some coffee.

Half an hour later, Tweek sat huddled on the now  _ clean _ , couch, a steaming mug of coffee on the table before him, laptop balanced in his lap.  Wrapped in his quilt as he was, green checkered lounge-pants now replacing the tea-stained jeans from earlier, Tweek was finally feeling back in his element.  Kyle’s sudden return and ring-clad finger be damned, he had work to do.

 

***

 

There was a loud insistent ringing in his ears.  It was almost constant; the sound would drop after a bit and then start up with a vengeance not long after.

Groaning, the writer shoved his face further down into his mound of blankets, having gone and gotten another sometime the night before.  Unfortunately, even the thick blankets wouldn’t muffle the sound.  _ What in fuck’s name is that sound? _  It grated against his eardrums, dragging his tired mind into full awakeness.  Tweek pushed the quilt from around his head, blonde tresses springing to form as the fabric slid down his shoulders.

A low, annoyed growl worked its way up his throat as he blinked several times, crystalline eyes tiredly scanning the area around him, searching for that source of that screaming ring.

It took several rounds, but the writer’s eyes finally rested on the offender, his phone.  It was balanced against the arm of the couch. He must have rested it there to watch a video or two before he finally passed out.  The device had titled to the side marginally, but there it was, screeching out Tweek’s alarm as if it had the  _ right _ .  

“Alright, you ‘lil bastard,” the blond muttered, snatching up the offending object and swiping along to get it to just  _ stop _ .  His eyes were still too tired, too gritty to be able to focus on what the screen said; Tweek was just thankful that he had gotten the thing to shut up.

Sighing in the oncoming silence, a slight smile graced the blond’s features.   _ Ah, the serenity of early morning. _  In reality, Tweek had no idea what time it was, or if it was even morning anymore, but to be honest, he didn’t exactly care either.  

As he sat there, back resting softly against the couch with his blankets bunched up around his sides, Tweek felt himself begin to slip back into sleep, dozing in the glow of the sun from his window casting over him.  He loved the mornings, the times when no one was around to bother him, when no one in their right mind would call him bec--

Tweek’s phone went off, screeching out his ringtone.  Aqua eyes popped open to glare at the device once more.  But this time, it wasn’t an alarm. Someone was calling him.  Why would someone be calling him? No one  _ ever _ called him...unless--

_ I swear to God, if it’s someone from the shop asking me to come in, I am going to outright murder them.  I’m okay with going to jail for that. No one would blame me. _

Finally managing to tap the accept option, Tweek pulled the phone to his ear.  “Hel--”

_ “Where the hell are you!?” _

The phone immediately slipped from between Tweek’s fingers to land amongst the multitude of blankets at the shock of the shrill voice stampeding from the earpiece.

_ “I have been calling you for two hours!  You were supposed to be here two and a half hours ago!”   _ The yelling continued, albeit a bit muffled, and the writer’s eardrums felt as if they were splitting.  He could have sworn that his empty mug started to crack.

“Heidi!  Please stop yelling!”

She didn't.  Tweek picked up the phone after struggling to find the damn thing through the mounds of fabric, and he turned the volume down a smidge as he attempted to get his frazzled heart to calm down, the continued.   _ “NO, I won’t!  This is the third time you’ve been late!” _

“Can you just come here?” the blonde questioned, a slight whine apparent to even his own senses, already knowing the answer to that.  Even so, he could hope, couldn’t he? In the end, he prepared himself, pulling the phone from his ear by a few inches.

_ “You want me to go there!  How about not!? I’m already at the shop!  I’ve been here for ages.” _

Yep, he knew it.  He nodded as he heard a strangled, offended noise come through the phone.  Just beyond that, the blond could hear someone yelling at the woman to keep her voice down, which, in turn, just made her yell more.

Tweek pulled himself to his feet, letting Heidi, who had all but begged to be his editor a year ago, yell out her frustrations.  It wasn’t that he didn’t like having the woman as his editor. She was great at what she did, one of the best, and was able to whip him into shape when all he wanted to do was be lazy.  But wow, did she have a set of pipes on her.  _ Must be fun for Eric. _  He snickered at his own thoughts, hiding the sound in the fabric of his sleeve.  The last thing he wanted to was to make Heidi even  _ more _ upset with him, but damn, was it funny.

Wrapping the quilt around his shoulders, he set off towards his room.  He knew that he wouldn’t be able to persuade the insane woman to come meet him at his home, so he resigned himself to shuffling off and getting dressed.  She was right, though. He was supposed to meet her for coffee and talk over the publicity meeting they were having the day after his deadline. It was a new series, after all, and despite the editor’s insistence that no one would want to read a murder mystery in his style, it was something new that needed to be repped.

_ “I hear you putting clothes on!” _  The editor accused, cutting an earlier sentence in half when Tweek put the phone on speaker so he could pull jeans on as well as listen to her lecture him.   _ “You better be on your way here!  Plus, there’s someone here I want you to see!” _

“Yeah, yeah.  I’ll be there soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyrics in the summary from Habits by Maria Mena

**Author's Note:**

> The lyrics in the summary are from the song Growing Pains by Maria Mena. I wasn't sure how well the song would fit at first, but the more I listened, the better it seemed to fit, so please go look it up if you want an inside idea to this fic. Also, the song Hoodie by Hey Violet is a big inspiration for this.


End file.
